Participatory mapping: revealing territories to guide collective action

As part of its action-research activities, CREATES develops and experiments with participatory methods that enable vulnerable communities to co-construct knowledge and guide collective action in the face of ongoing transformations. Among these methods, participatory mapping holds a central place.

Revealing territorial dynamics

Participatory mapping is far more than a technical tool. It enables inhabitants to see their territory differently, to grasp the changes and pressures — sometimes invisible in everyday life — that bear upon their environment. By bringing together perspectives, lived experiences and memories, it circulates knowledge that is often dispersed and makes it accessible for collective reflection.

Sharing knowledge to act together

Like participatory theatre or video, also experimented with by CREATES, mapping is a way of pooling what communities know, feel and experience. This shared knowledge becomes a powerful lever for collective action, commons governance and territorial planning.

This approach is fully aligned with CREATES’ mission: supporting communities in their capacity to act, by mobilising tools that make issues visible and transforming shared knowledge into concrete action.